L3 hires former senior Lockheed official O'Bryan to head sales

LONDON (Reuters) - L3 Technologies Inc (LLL.N) said on Sunday it hired former senior Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) executive Steve O'Bryan as its global chief of business development, the latest in a series of appointments aimed at expanding the company's reach.

O'Bryan's departure from Lockheed this past spring had come as a surprise to many in the industry, given his long years of work drumming up business for the company's F-35 fighter jet and in more recent years, helicopters, warships and other weapons.

At L3, O'Bryan will be responsible for all aspects of organic growth, including U.S. military programmes and foreign sales, the company said.

L3 Chief Executive Chris Kubasik, another former Lockheed executive, has charted an ambitious course to expand the company's business and bulk up with acquisitions.

In a statement, Kubasik said that O'Bryan "brings a wealth of business development expertise that will enhance L3's customer relationships both domestically and internationally."

Last year, he hired former Navy weapons buyer Sean Stackley to join the company, as well as former banker Heidi Wood, who now head L3's internal mergers and acquisitions team.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Mark Potter and Peter Cooney)